Chapter Sixteen - Regina

I finally get up off the bench. My bum has started to go a bit numb, as have my fingers. I bury my hands deep inside my coat pockets and walk across the garden, back towards the house. The cold hasn't bothered me over the last hour. I've felt all cozy, wrapped up inside my oversized jacket while the sharp wind has blown around me. Now, I enjoy the feeling of it lighting my hair. I like the sound of my boots crunching on the frosty grass. I am the only thing out here that is daring to move against the wind.

Suddenly, the door to the house flings open long before I'm anywhere near it. Someone comes rushing out, looking around wildly. They turn their head this way and that, their wavy blond hair flying.

It's Emma.

She spots me and immediately comes hurrying across the grass. Her long coat flaps in the wind. Her hair keeps streaming all around her. She comes to a stop. Right in front of me.

For a moment, she looks as bewildered as I feel. And then her eyes meet mine, and her face softens. Her features transform into an easy smile. Her chest rises and falls, but her breathing isn't too heavy. She has calmed down. I calm down with her. To be honest, I hadn't really had enough time to work up a panic.

"Are you okay?"

"I know about you and Henry."

She knows? I mean, Henry did warn me that she can spot a liar a mile away, and he hated lying, I mean, he really hates lying to anyone. I have expected that his mom would have found out eventually, somehow, but the question is, how?

Did I give the game away already somehow?

How could she have worked it out?

"Henry told me," she explains. "I am so sorry. I must seem like a madwoman right now, sprinting across the garden in the dead of the night, then coming out with that dramatic line. I didn't mean for it to sound like I know what you did this winter. I just wanted to say: I know. Henry told me all about the fake relationship, and the revision notes, and the … Well, I know everything. Obviously, I will keep it quiet for you both. I just thought you'd want to know that someone else knows, you know? So, there's another person you can talk to properly around here. Less pressure because this is a big secret to keep. A real juicy one. I need to know how you're doing it. Why you're doing it. And to my son. Not in a judgmental way, though. Sorry again."

I blink at her. She seems so excited and concern at the same time to be in on the secret that my initial worries dissipate. This is good news. I now have one less person to lie to while I'm here, one more person I can be fully myself with.

"Surprise," I say, "And I like women."

Emma nods, "Nice. Me too."

"Nice."

We stand opposite one another in the middle of the vast moonlit garden, both of us staring openly. With the truth out, Emma is finally seeing me for exactly who I am. It's almost like we're meeting again for the first time.

"This is brilliant," Emma says. "You're like a whole new person, and I am being introduced to you for the first time all over again." She holds out her hand, "I'm Emma."

I'm stunned. It's like she plucked the thoughts right out of my brain. I don't dwell on what that means. I don't give myself time to overthink. Instead, I reach right out and take Emma's hand. Her skin is super soft against mine, but her handshake is pleasingly firm.

"I'm Regina."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Regina." She continues, "everyone already adores you."

"I am sorry for lying to you and your family. Genuinely."

"Nah, you are all good. It's a great scam. I totally admire your powers of deception. Never once did I suspect the truth," Emma pauses for a moment. "I did think that something might be going on, but I didn't get this. It's a long story to get into now."

"What?"

"I'll explain another time, I promise. First, I wondered if we could get to know each other a little better? I would like for us to start over." She tugs at the bottom of her boat. "If it's not too late at night for you, would you like a quick walk together?"

continued - coming soon.